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The Pro

My ole Boss James has taken to making the subject line of every email he sends out VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ. I’ve stopped opening them as the all caps puts me off. If I miss anything important I figure he’ll call me.

Speaking of important things, listen up. A couple of months ago the Bosses hired a new lady, Janean. Janean used to be a golf pro, a real live golf pro. While you and I have been sitting in front of our computers turning gray and ashy for the past ten years, Janean has been coaching people on their [insert some popular golf swing that I’ve never heard of here] out in the sunshine (but she doesn’t look like a baseball glove – says she wore lots of sunscreen). So what’s she doing here? I sat down with her today to find out just that.

The Pro

An Interview with Soon-to-be Mortgage Banker, Janean Murphy

Just the Assistant: First things first, Janean, where the heck did you come from?

Pro Janean: I’ve been an LPGA Teaching and Club Pro at Houston Country Club.

JTA: I have no idea what that even means. How’d you get here? You know we do mortgages, right?

PJ: Here’s the story. In February I started feeling restless being a golf pro. I was working long hours, weekends, holidays, and getting home late at night. I started praying that God would either calm me, or provide another job. At that same time my husband and I were closing on a house with Chad. After we closed, I called Chad out of the blue and asked, “Can you tell me what a loan officer does?”

Chad was excited to have me come in. He was like, “Sure! Come on in! I love this job!” Chad was on cloud nine because he’d just returned from a conference.

[JTA Note: Chad goes haywire after conferences. He’s like, the ideal conference attendee. He cries when people give inspirational speeches and then he buys the book and comes back and tells everybody how moved he is.]

JTA: So what are you doing right now? You can’t just come in a be a loan officer, right?

PJ: Right. My end goal is to be a loan officer, but for now, I am learning all the other jobs here. I’m starting at the bottom, and I love it. So at two o’clock, I’m sitting with Andie and am going to learn about what she does, and earlier I sat with Hayley. I’m just trying to learn all the positions.

JTA: But I see you working at a desk, too (a desk where they used to let me sit, but whatever). What else are you doing?

PJ (ignoring my offer to give me the desk back): My main job now is to set up appointments for James and Chad with realtors, builders and referral partners. And I try to fill up their lunch and learns, happy hours, etc.

JTA: You have to talk on the phone a lot, huh? I’d be so scared. I would cry if someone said they wouldn’t come to a happy hour.

PJ: You know, being a golf pro, I had to put myself out there to get work, so it’s not a big deal to me. And everybody has been really nice, even if they don’t want to set up an appointment, they’re still nice.

JTA: But is it ever awkward?

PJ: Once a realtor told me it wasn’t a good time because her husband had cancer. And I was like, should I tell her I’ll be praying for him? But I didn’t even know the guy, so I knew I wouldn’t remember to pray for him. So I just told her I was sorry and good luck.

JTA: That’s so…oh my gosh. I’m so glad that wasn’t me. What made you want to work here anyway? You could have found a desk job somewhere else.

PJ: When I got my loan here, the communication was top-notch. Every week I knew exactly where I stood with the loan, whether I needed to turn in docs or if we were waiting on an appraisal. I’m a control freak so it was good that they were keeping me informed. Christieven drove to my work to pick up my documents because I was too busy to drive up here.

So I thought, those are the people I want to work with. They’ve got the same values as me. And James and Chad respected that I wanted to have a family life, too.

Sorry I’m not being very funny.

JTA: I don’t need you to be funny. And if you were funny I wouldn’t even write it on the blog. I’m the only one who’s allowed to be funny.

By the way, are you a famous golf person?

PJ: No, but I coached Stacy Lewis all four years of high school. She’s the former #1 and current #2 female player in the world.

JTA: Do you still talk to her?

PJ: Not really. Her people protect her.

JTA: Yeah, I don’t have any people. So, do you go home after working here each day and rub your golf clubs against your face and cry?

PJ: Ha! No but you can put that in the blog. And that I sleep with my club covers.

JTA: Before we wrap this up, is there anything you want your people to know?

PJ: Yes! Even though I’m not a licensed loan officer yet, I can still help people. If anyone is looking to buy or refinance, I can help. Contact me! And I might even throw in a golf lesson if they need it.

JTA: Love it! Thanks for your time, Janean. Now go make all those phone calls!

Alright folks, I’m going to follow Janean on her mortgage banking journey over the next several months. It’ll be just like a soap opera, minus a real plot line and people murdering each other and folks having affairs. Loads of fun to come, I swear. Stay tuned. Now, off to delete all my Boss’s emails check some emails.